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Unlocking the Power of Honor: A Guiding Light for Our Tribe's Future

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  Unlocking the Power of Honor: A Guiding Light for Our Tribe's Future In a world where words often lose their meaning amidst the noise, "Honor" stands tall, embodying a profound truth that resonates deeply within the soul of our community. As we navigate the complexities of modern existence, it's essential to return to the roots that define us, leveraging the timeless principles of Honor, Loyalty, and Sacrifice to forge a path forward. This exploration isn't just about understanding a concept; it's about redefining our collective destiny through the lens of integrity and truth. As a community committed to empowerment and personal growth, we dive deep into the essence of Honor—dissecting its impact on our lives and our interactions with each other. This isn't just an article; it's a manifesto for those ready to embody the true meaning of Honor in their lives, propelling our tribe towards unprecedented heights of unity and strength. The Core of Honor: H

Respect Your imani

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  Great Imani: It has been a very busy few days. I am working at the Ohio Alliance Of Black School Educators (OABSE) conference here in Columbus, Ohio. It took more time that I expected but it was worth it. It is great to hear about all the work that is going on with schools, especially when it comes to Black children. "Imani - a collective force rooted in community" I was trying to record my show but my daughter wanted to take a long walk in the woods in the dark. So I accepted her challenge and we ended up going four miles. Needless to say after the long day, and the evening into night walk, I was exhausted and would have not been able to give yall my all. I am bringing this up because it was a lesson in it about Imani. My daughter was excited to go for our walk but as it started to get dark, the excitement started to turn into fear. Before the sun totally disappeared she was running around picking flowers, running ahead of me, and lagging behind. As the darkness solidified
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  Great Kuumba Congratulations you have been born in a legendary time. I am serious, we are standing in the midst of a crisis point in history, and you have the opportunity to take action that will mark you down in the historical memory of your people. But before you go out and conquer the world please take some time to conquer yourself, or better yet align yourself with your Culture, and principles. The world is in the middle of changes that are happening so fast that people are lost. If you don't believe me just take some time and think about the changes you have experienced in your life. It used to be that the only way you could be heard was to be selected by a big corporation and pushed. We are now standing in a time where we can actually share our talents, and skills with the world (no middle man needed). When I was young I used to dream about being on TV. Now I get up every morning and do a show. I never thought that I would be able to do something like that, but that is the

Collective Nia

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  Great Nia: Today we will be talking about the combination of Ujima and Nia. We are going to come at this from the angle of "Collective Nia '' and Our responsibility toward it. Once again I want to take the time to thank those that are supporting our efforts. We are here trying to build up "Collective Nia'' within our tribe and it is not an easy thing. We all have our lives that require many of us to deal with a myriad of things that constantly steal our focus. Sometimes it can seem as if we are in a land of the walking dead, because some people just don't get it. Believe me I understand so we try to bring you information on a daily basis so that you know that you are not alone. Be on the lookout for announcements about our events, and trips. If you ever want to come out you are welcomed. By the way I know that I have a few writers out there that have some things to say, feel free to email me and I will gladly publish it in our eMag. I also don't want

Respect Reciprocity

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  Great Ujamaa in this week of Ujima: These are two beautiful principles especially when they come together like today. we are forced to look at them and then take a hard look at ourselves, and think about whether we are exercising them. Ujima (which is the week that we are in) speaks to us about collective work and responsibility, but also in our system it represents the powerful and necessary principle of respect. Without respect nothing moves. Respect is like oil; it allows different parts to run smoothly together, and it reduces friction. Today's Principle is Ujamaa which talks to us about cooperation and resources, but it also represents the principle of gratitude, and reciprocity in our tribe. When we take the time and put these two principles together we get an unbeatable combination. A combination sorely needed in our communities. "Ujima reminds us of collective work and responsibility; but also respect, without it nothing moves." Today, I want to take a look at t

Quit work to Start your WORK

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  Great Ujima during this third Ujima in 2022: I am excited to be able to reach out to all of you and build in the way that we do. Waking up this early and hitting this keyboard has been a mixed blessing. I guess all blessings are. Strange how the world seems to work like that. Hey... That thought moved us into what I want to talk with yall about this morning. Work, that dirty word that we have learned to associate with early mornings or late nights. Work, the place we go to be abused and missed used. Work, that hamster wheel that we have sold our most valuable asset to run on powering someone else's dream. I know y'all may be waiting for me to unleash some secret that is ingrained in the Nguzo Saba that can free you from the drudgery, but.... Naw I can't. There is no cure for it. We have to work, as a matter of fact I am writing this to encourage you to continue doing so, but what I am going to point out for you is that you may be working too much for the other team, and n

Collective Kujichagulia

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  Great Kujichagulia to all my Kuji born out their: "Umoja in motion (collective work and responsibility)" We are looking at Kujichagulia today through the marvelous principle of Ujima. For those new to the journey, and to remind the old heads Ujima means collective work and responsibility. We teach within Gye-Nyame that Ujima is Umoja in motion. Today let's look at the power of a collective, which is a group that pulls together to accomplish a goal. Now let's imagine that they collectively focus on defining their world, or bringing it close to home,redefining their world. What type of changes could this collective bring about? "Gye-Nyame Journey has already put this into motion , by redefining the day" Kujichagulia as we saw last week is strong on defining the world, and since we are in the week of Ujima I believe that it is appropriate for me to call on our collective to start to redefine the world that we are in. Using our collective thought power to resh

Kujichagulia - It's Time To Talk About The Responsibility Part Of Ujima

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Great Ujima: It is time to discuss Ujima from the standpoint of Kujichagulia, and today I want to look at the responsibility part of this principle. We Know (at least those who have been listening) that Ujima in Gye-Nyame is Umoja in action. Ujima works because responsibility is exercised, but let's take this day to look into the idea of responsibility. Responsibility is the ability to be in control of our actions and words, it is a state of being accountable for one's actions and words. There is a deep level of self-respect and self-love that comes with responsibility. A responsible person knows who they are, they know who they are, they know where they are going, they know what they want, they know why they want it, and they know how to get it...in other words responsibility gives us power. Many of us do not want to take responsibility, but the reality is that we are responsible for our actions and non-actions. The lack of responsibility breeds anger, frustration, confusion,

Umoja in Motion (Sample)

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Ujima is nothing but our Umoja in motion. What I mean is that everything that the definition of Umoja calls for is used in motion and in action through the principle of Ujima. The first part of this principle calls for us to build and maintain our community together and to make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems, and to solve them together. We have an obligation to each other if we are going to be successful in life, because no one person has all the answers, no one person knows how to solve all the problems. The second part of this principle calls for us to remember our past, so we don't repeat it. We should know that there were others before us who had a lot of good ideas about how to solve different kinds of problems. We can learn from their mistakes, too — so that we don't have to repeat them. That's what history means. Now we need to gather the lessons recognize what we have and move into the future boldly. We can no longer be held back by the ill

The Imani Of The Collective (sample)

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Imani is the 7th principle in the Nguzo Saba. In Gye-Nyame 7 is the number of study rest and perfection. Imani  is also interchangeable with the principle of trust and harmony in our system. That may not mean much to many, but it is a very powerful number in our culture. There are many factors that go into our ability to have faith in ourselves, but this is essentially the foundation for an individual's success. "I believe in myself and my ability to succeed." The first component of that statement is an expression of Imani. The second component is an expression of Ujima (collective work). There are many ways we can choose to express Imani, but only by working together can we truly achieve greatness. We cannot escape the fact that we are all connected. We all have a purpose here on Earth; it may be to educate, or love, or entertain, or heal—but whatever it is, we have all been given gifts that will allow us to fulfill our purpose. And when we work together as a collective

How Kuumba Is Important For Buildin' Collectives (Sample)

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The principle of Kuumba is important when it comes to building collectives. Creativity is the use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness. When it comes to building a collective, this means the use of creativity that allows the invention of stories, rituals, ceremonies, initiations etc.. That allows for the building and maintaining of a collective. Kuumba also means to leave your community more beautiful and beneficial than you inherited it. When it comes to the building of a collective this means leaving behind stories, doctrine and legacies that help the next generation build on their foundation. This includes sharing resources such as books, journals and other materials that help build on the foundation you started. Kuumba has also been used in its literal sense which is to make something happen because someone wanted it to happen or is making an effort that makes it happen. This can be seen in social movements as they are often made up of people who want

The Tribe Is Changing (sample)

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We are in the midst of another change here at GNJMedia. I personally had to rethink how I was approaching the process of sending out information. I started to understand that I was putting out too much content too fast. I have heard that some people are getting "Ding fatigue" and don't even look at what I post. Nevertheless We are building a collective to bring you information that can aid you in your personal development, as well as keep you informed about the world and the Tribe. We are striving to set an example for others that are trying to build within their communities. This is why we do what we do here at GNJMedia. Our goal is to inform the masses of knowledge and wisdom that has been kept from us, to discover new things, and build the next generation of leaders. We are living in a time where it appears people have become too scared to think for themselves, and we strive to empower everyone we come into contact with. We are here to share our truths of what we have

You Are Not

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Let's talk about what you are not on this Ujima day. Many of us have been caught within the mask we have to wear to survive, and we have worn them for so long that we have forgotten that they are masks. Our belief becomes so strong that we start to believe that people's reactions to the mask we wear is actually a reaction to us. When in fact they are actually reacting to what we are pretending to be. You are not your job, you are not your car, you are not how much money you have in the bank. You are not your problems. You are not your age. You are not what other people think about you. You are not your past. You are here now, and everything else is just a thought and a story. You are what you choose to be right now. You can choose to drop the mask and start being yourself right now or you can choose to keep wearing the mask and keep pretending until it kills you (literally). Come over to GNJMedia and learn the definition we use for the Self: Follow

Tribal Calling (sample)

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We've all heard people speak about their personal calling, the vocation that has screamed out into the world at them. But tonight I want to spend some time looking into your tribe's vocation. What has your group been called to bring and share with the world? I believe that this is a great topic for Ujima. We are in a time of great turmoil, but also of great potential change. We are witnessing an explosion in technological advancement and scientific discovery, but we're also seeing a rise in violent nationalism and extreme political tribalism. The question of who gets to control the technology and knowledge being created is wide open, but what does seem evident is that the current systems of power have no intention of giving up that control anytime soon. There's only one way for us to take back control over our shared future: WE NEED TO ORGANIZE AND ACT AS TRIBES! Learn more at>>>> Follow

5 Ways A Collective Can Help You Soar

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 My goodness I fall out from covid and wake up in a world where it seems like the idea of tribe is more needed than ever. Not only for protection, but also to keep us motivated in these crazy times. On this Ujima day let us remember that it is the collectective that can help us soar. Here are 5 but not the 5 you still need to get on that email list: 1. A tribe provides motivation and support for your inner truth 2. A tribe can help you hone your message 3. A tribe will provide a safe place for you to practice your new craft 4. A tribe can help you generate ideas 5. A tribe will hold you accountable Follow